Golf-ball.



I No. 693,40

Patented Apr. 22, I902. E.-KEMPSHALL.

GOLF BALL- (Application filed Mar 24, 190

(No ModgL ELEAZER KEMPSHALL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE KEMPSI-IALL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GOLF-BALL.-

SPECIFIGATIQN forming part of Letters Eatent'll'o. 698,401,1iated April 22, 1902 Application filed March 24, 1902, Serial No. 99 ,716- (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELnAznR KEMPSHALL, a

citizen of the United States, residing in Bosa view of my improved ball, shown partly in section. Fig. 2 is a view of a filling or core. Fig. 3 illustrates one stage in forming a shell upon the core. Fig. 4 illustrates a preliminary compression of the ball indies. illustrates a strip of gutta-percha, and Fig. 6 shows the final stage in producing the ball.

In the drawings similar characters of referenoe indicate like parts.

For the core 1 of the ball I employ any suitable material--such, for instance, as soft rubber-Which may be either a solid sphere or simply an envelop over an inner sphere. Upon this core I wind a strip or strips 2 of gutta-percha. This strip, as indicated at Fig. 5, is extremely thin and of moderate width. I heat the strip until it is plastic, or nearly so, and wind it tightly or under tension over the core 1, with the result that the strip adheres to the rubberorother core material. I wind on suflicient gutta-percha in this manner to make a substantial shell, as indicated at A, Fig. 3. The overwound strips cling closely to each other, so that a solid guttapercha shell is produced substantially spherical in form, and the rubber-core ball being accurately centered therewithin, which is a desideratum.

A particular advantage of this invention resides in the exclusion of air from the shell. The strips are thin and also so adhesive that in winding strip over strip substantially no Fig. 5

air-spaces are left and a solid weldless shell is produced.

The ball shown in Fig. 3 I place in smooth dies 3 and 4: and bring the latter together with great force, so as to give form to the ball and also to subject the gutta-percha toapreliminary compression, this being efiected while the material A is still hot. The dies 3 and 4 may be cold, and the pressure may be maintained while the gutta-percha shell cools and hardens. The ball thus formed and indicated at B, Fig. 4, I then place in heating and compressing dies 5 and 6, Fig. 6, whereby I render the gutta-percha plastic and also subject the same to compression to an extent to compress the core 1, maintaining the compression while the shell cools and har dens. The shell thus formed (indicated at C, Fig. 1) is distinguished from shells formed of hemispherical segments in that it is weldless, and hence has no joint to open, which is liable to be the case with a welded ball when subjected to severe usage. Since gutta-percha will not crack and since the shell has no weld, it will be seen that the ball is rendered far more substantial and durable than heretofore, while as a result of the process of manufacture the gutta-percha is well seasoned and compacted and'not liableto lose its shape when it is subjected to the heat of a summer day. It will be understood that the strips 1 blend together and form a homogeneous shell without weld or seam and strongly gripping the core 1. This shell is much harder than the ordinary gutta-percha shell, and a ball made in this way has phenomenal flying power, while being dead to a light blow, so that it is well adapted for both long drives and short puts.

The shell may be formed inthe above-described manner of other plastic materialsuch, for instance, as celluloid or any material of the pyroxylin class.

It will be observed that the shell consists of convolutions of one or more strips of plastic material extending in different directions around the core and being welded together or adhering at their contacting surfaces.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of my improvements. The preliminary compression illustrated in Fig. 4 may be omitted, if desired, although I prefer to subject the ball to repeated heating and compression.

It will be seen that by my invention the shell is continuous, as distinguished from a shell made of welded hemispherical segments, and that by reason of subjecting the shell to successive operations of simultaneous heat and compression the internal strains are substantially eliminated, so that the ball does not become distorted when softened by the heat of the sun.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. A playing-ball comprising a yielding core and a substantial, continuous shell holding said core under compression, and consisting of gutta-percha from which all strains other than those caused by the expansive tendency of said core have been eliminated.

2. A playing-ball comprising a core and a shell thereon, the latter consisting of convolutions of one or more strips of plastic material extending continuously in different directions around said core and being welded together or adhering at their contacting surfaces.

3. A playing-ball comprising a core and a shell thereon, the latter consisting of convolutions of one or more strips of gutta-percha extending continuously in different directions around said core and being welded together at their contacting surfaces.

4. A playing-ball comprising a shell and a yielding core held under compression thereby; said shell consisting of convolutions of one or more strips of gutta-percha extending continuously in different directions around said core in numerous layers so as to form a substantial shell, and said strips being welded together at their contacting surfaces.

5. A playing-ball comprising a core and a shell thereon, the latter consisting of convo lutions of one or more strips of gutta-percha extending continuouslyin different directions around said core and being welded together at their contacting surfaces; the internal strains of said shell being substantially eliminated.

ELEAZER KEMPSHALL.

\Vitnesses:

B. G. STIOKNEY, JOHN O. SEIFERT. 

